A few months ago I saw a picture by Billy Abbott on Twitter from the Whisky Exchange’s Whisky Show with this Bw1 bottle on it. After a few minutes of consideration I asked him which distillery it could be, since I coulnd’t figure it out. His reply: Look at the Islay distilleries with B, then keep looking till you find one with a W in it. Of course, Bowmore. I almost punched myself in the face for not figuring this out. Must have been the sleep deprivation of Maltstock still in my system. Not remembering Bowmore, how did that happen?

Anyway, Elements of Islay, the series with those dinky chemical bottles with Islay whisky in it. They’ve had all distilleries by now and are venturing out into the ‘other’ brands like Port Charlotte (Pl1) and it’s only a matter of time before there’ll be an Octomore (Oc1?).

Good value, usually and the quality is rather okay too. The only ones I doubt are the Port Ellens. They’re all very okay, but they’re all ridiculously expensive too. But which Pe isn’t?

Sniff:
Heavier than I expected, a bit oily and diesely. There’s the obligatory peat and dried flowers as well, but more in the straw range than in the perfumy range. Luckily. Vanilla and oak. It doesn’t have that crispness that young Bowmore sometimes has. There’s also a slight hint of cleaning product. In general an older style of Bowmore than I expected.

Sip:
The flavour profile is a bit lighter than the scent was. More flowery and crisp too, with some lemon, vanilla, grass, and almost no smoke at all. It has a white peppery spiciness to it. The body feels a tad greasy and creamy. Smooth as well.

Swallow:
The finish nicely holds the balance between the heavier profile on the nose and the lighter (more expected) style on the palate. Not too heavy but with a certain weight to it. Shimmy leather, lemon and a hint of barley.

From the range of the affordable Elements of Islay (red: excluding Pe) this is one of the more complex ones I’ve tried. The lighter style of peat from Ar, Lg, Lp, Cl and Pl gives more room to other flavours too. I also like the fact that the nose and palate are rather unexpected and unlike eachother without being too inconsistent. It makes for an interesting and tasty dram!

Elements of Islay, Bw1, Speciality Drinks Ltd. Available from the Whisky Exchange for £ 54.95.